My time in Colombia is now up, at least for now. I realize that I am upset as I navigate my return travel to the US and I am sure that that is clouding my judgement as I face and deal with the ridiculousness that has become the US travel policy. But…..

I don’t understand how and why we have collectively given up our rights for the ease of travel. I am a traveler and I know a lot of travelers and there has to be an easier way to do this.

So my question is, Are we any safer because of random checks?

How do other countries get by without having their passengers remove their shoes and allowing their passengers to take liquids aboard? I realize that these are small concessions I am willing to make but I don’t believe they make us safer. I only realize how ridiculous our policies are when I have travelled in other countries for a while and return to our police state.

However, what is this random passenger bullshit? How does that make us safer?

How is calling every 15th passenger aside and searching them and their belongings going to in any way make the flight safer for anyone aboard? I don’t believe that for one minute. So there is nothing found on us – the random passenger, but what if the one of the 15 people they didn’t call aside had something? It is way too conceivable that that would be the case. Also – I have been the random person way too often to assume there is anything random about it. Why am I constantly called aside?

Do we just give up our rights and follow the person behind the screen without asking why? Then allow them to wipe a cloth over us and go through our items and remove our shoes for them without complaint? Who do we complain to? (They are a just poor person who has to make people uncomfortable for minimum wage.) When did this become acceptable? Is this the price of air travel – a few people up in the higher echelons telling us what to do and blindly following? Does this make us safer or is it a blatant abuse of power that we are merely accepting because it is easier than fighting the system.

Waiting in line for 15 minutes to be searched and have my stuff gone through.

Person who is going to go through my things, my shoes, and wipe my pants, hands and items to check them for…? She wouldn’t say.

I don’t believe that all this money we are wasting has done anything to keep us safer. But I think it has caused people to believe we are safer and that is why it continues. Taking our shoes off has done nothing and those fancy expensive body scanners have done nothing – when we go through those and still need a person to go over us with a wand – you know it doesn’t work – but we bought it literally and figuratively and now we continue the dance of pretending we are safe and people pretending they are making us safe – and not really being any more or less safe than before – I hate the dance, and I hate being the random person and having to suck it up because I want to get to my destination.

I am not happy with the situation – but truthfully, I do what I am told because I’d rather fly than not.